The CORVID-19 pandemic has put countries on lock down, closed schools around the world, postponed elections, and prompted leaders everywhere to look for immediate alternatives to their normal in-person gatherings. Forbes recently reported "Remote work is no longer a privilege," Forbes recently reported. "It's become the standard operating mode for at least 50% of the U.S. population." That percentage is only going to increase in the coming days, whether organizations are ready or not.
So what can you do now to overcome disruption to retail sales and workplaces because of the novel coronavirus and how can you prepare your organization to remain resilient in future emergencies?
First, Create a Seamless Online Experience.
When people can't come to your brand, bring your brand to them.
Ensure that you are prepared to offer the same quality of service even for large spikes in traffic, proactively monitor delivery delays and material shortages with cloud-based inventory management, and find custom solutions to let the brand that your community knows and loves shine through.
By providing a seamless brand across your physical and digital platforms, you will not only prepare your organization to continue vital operations, but you will also offer a voice of consistency and calm in the midst of others' panic.
Second, Understand Information Venues.
As you seek out reliable information to guide your own decision-making, ensure that you are appropriately using all of your information venues to transparently and responsibly update your community.
Urgent releases about procedural or schedule changes can be distributed to the public through your social, web, and even text platforms in real time, dedicated web pages can be created as a central hub for information pertaining to your organization in evolving situations, and live and recorded video can be used to give your brand's formal statements a personal and familiar touch.
Third, Prepare Employees to Work from Home.
Your most valuable asset will always be safe and healthy employees. Prioritize their well-being and ensure that as many as possible are ready to work from home if necessary. Cloud-based client relationship managers (CRMs), online client portals, and well-maintained data can all prepare your employees and volunteers to continue providing great service all the time.
While CORVID-19 will pass, the need for these practical preparations will not. Your ability to accommodate disruption in your physical locations will remain important both for future crises and as retail and office cultures shift to prefer online, remote connections with your brand.
Wildroot Creative is available to help your organization with any of these preparations. Reach out and set up a brief consultation to determine if we are the best marketing firm for you.